Plaid Cymru, the Party Of Wales, news, comment, opinion and observations from the South East corner of the old historic county of Gwent...

Friday, 2 May 2014

WAITING FOR A TRAIN

Driver training on the Gaer spur (Ian Brewer)

"The train
on platform 4 is for Ebbw Vale Parkway, calling at Risca, Rogerstone, Cross Keys…"

The announcement took me by surprise, especially as I was standing on Platform 2 on Newport Station. No they have not gone and done it, trains from Ebbw Vale to Newport and vice versa are not up and running. The only reason why these trains are running via Newport is because of a programme of
improvements (running between 1st May and 18th May).

There have been loud and persistent calls for many
years for the completion of the
long promised permanent rail link from the Ebbw Vale into the City but no
concrete action. The South Wales Argus took up the gauntlet and actively
backed the campaign to restore the rail link from Ebbw Vale to Newport, which
complimented the rail link from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff. In the last 18 months
things have gone ominously quiet, with the silence
from the Labour in Wales Welsh government and our local Labour representatives
becoming particularly deafening.

Now in relation to the completion
of the final stage of the Ebbw Vale to Newport line, my advice would be not to
hold your breath. I have begun to suspect, and here I hope I am wrong, that
there is and has never been any real intention to complete it. The line as is
works perfectly well for the proposed Cardiff City region – perhaps it’s time
for the Labour in Wales Government in Cardiff to come clean and admit it?

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Jonathan T Clark

About Me

A former journalist, and a former IT Professional, I am interested in social justice, the growing problem of a lack of affordable housing, energy independence, land tenure, public access, law and order, equal pay, integrated public transport, our economy, the consequences of the former war on terror and enduring threats to civil liberties. I have a passing interest in the consequences of Peak Everything. Amongst my other interests are Archaeology, history, politics not to mention Newport County and the Gwent Dragons. I have been actively involved in pretty much every Plaid campaign in the South East one way or another since 1998 Any blog postings contain only my personal views and are published in an entirely personal capacity.